IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering (IOSRJMCE)

ISSN : 2278-1684 Volume 1, Issue 2 (July-Aug 2012), PP 24-27 www.iosrjournals.org

www.iosrjournals.org 24 | Page

Construction Safety Culture and Promotion, Conceptual

approach based on the Labor Law of Pakistan

Syed Faraz Jafri1

1(Department of Civil Engineering/Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan)

Abstract : The aspect of safety is taken on low priority basis during the execution of projects in Pakistan.

Metropolitan cities of Pakistan are well developed by mega projects but safety of labors within construction is

not encountered. This predominantly associated with the loss of lives with the decreasing mortality and social

value. Negligence of safety standards correspond to the severe and serious injuries. Keeping in view the gravity

of issue, the focusing parameter is the use of modernized equipments during construction. As per the statistics,

personal safety of deputed workers is less than 40%. The system will be more susceptible by provoking the

deployment of policy regulations and awareness programs with implementation procedures governed by functionary bodies. The ultimate goal of research study entices with the sorting of expert labor with their

signified requirements. The key controlling features resemble with the locale of labor law, safety development

programs and instrumental knowledge.

Keywords - Safety, Construction, Policy, Equipment, Labor

I. CONSTRUCTION INCIDENTS AND LACK OF TRAININGS –AN OVERVIEW Construction accidents are entirely dependent on the improper training of labors. Researchers have

shown that in many sites no skilled development plan exist in Pakistan. Negligence of safety standards will

absolutely result in the form of disasters and loss of precious human life. According to a study, most common

types of accidents that occur to specific job, investigation has shown that carpenters have more finger injuries

compared to masons [1]. During execution of construction work labors faced different types of accidental issues

including falls, scaffolding, electrical related matters, operating equipments or machineries, welding and

explosion accidents etc [2]. All of these are equally hazardous and deadly, and each of these can be avoided

through effective safety trainings and measures.

II. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CITY OF KARACHI AND DEPENDENT AREAS Karachi is the capital economical hub of Pakistan, for getting employment, education and medical

facilities peoples migrated all around the Pakistan to Karachi. Many of them getting employment related to

construction work. Construction companies getting benefits of this unemployment ratio and hire cheap unskilled

labor on daily wages to perform the job, this might cause to the increased number of site accidents [3]. Many

contactors do have the safety policy, on paper but in practice there is no check and balance of safety constraint.

Unemployed labor putting themselves in danger during execution of construction projects and learn from their

own mistakes. Also construction equipments manufacturers have a responsibility to design and maintain safe

products for use at the work site. This responsibility includes preventing the use of defective or unreasonably

dangerous products, which include: scaffolding, power tools, cranes, woodworking tools, ladders, winches,

trucks, tractors, bulldozers, forklifts etc [4]. When a construction site accident occurs, the owners, architects, insurance companies and manufacturers of equipment can be held responsible for inadequate safety provisions.

For the detailed feature enhancement, the situation is clearly defined in the pictorial views as follows.

Fig. 1. Unsafe Working Environment (implemented procedures and lack of advanced equipments) [5]

Construction Safety Culture and Promotion, Conceptual approach based on the Labor Law of

Pakistan

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III. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The major objective of this research is to minimize the root cause of accidents, by introducing step to

step program for the successful accomplishment of construction site. The general contractor and all

subcontractors are required to provide a reasonably safe site, to warn of hazards inherent in the site and work, to

hire careful employees, to coordinate job safety and to supervise compliance with safety specifications. The idea

and concept should be transformed to the workers and users with the provision of full specifications in the form

of booklet and training.

IV. ANALYTICAL FACTS AND FIGURE BASED ON THE LABOR LOCALE & METHODOLOGY OF

THE RESEARCH STUDY A brief questionnaire was designed by taking the help form different questions. In the similar fashion,

numbers of targeted sites are visited in Karachi with the stringent observation that labors are having associated

with the number of problems and these problems are directly engaged with the inadequate construction safety

process. The picture is quite clear from the analysis below:

Table 1. Designed questionnaire with assigned code.

Each question is assigned with a separate code for the effective formulation in graphical representation;

data is then collected and represented as follows. As per the question code C, D and E more than 80% answers

are imparting to the unsafe construction safety procedures. It is quite evident from the analytical facts that

effective designing of policy with predefined rules for the labor locality is mandatory and it is only possible with

the introduction safety culture in the environment.

Fig. 2. Construction Safety Analysis Survey Results

V. CAUSES AND PARENTAL APPROACHES TO CONSTRUCTION SITE ACCIDENTS Uncontrolled, unplanned and undesirable incident might not be necessarily result in an injury is term as

an accident [4]. All incidents regardless of the damage or loss and nature should be concern, because it may

cause prefigure future accidents. An accident does not happen without cause, many accidents are caused by

either unsafe act or unsafe conditions or both [6]. In the same way, number of entities is discussed below that

are the root cause and giving the solutions in their own as well.

2.1 Safety Factor Avoidance

According to the respective research, around 90% labors agreed they are injured due to negligence of

safety parameters. Not only that, 70% workers are injured due to the unskilled performance and this again

correspond to the provision of safety trainings to concerned labors. During the survey, several pictorial views

Construction Safety Culture and Promotion, Conceptual approach based on the Labor Law of

Pakistan

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are to be taken for the clear justification. The system is also dependent by the improper handling of equipments

by labors.

2.2 Unemployment Ratio

It is also one of the important factor and proved form the collected data that many construction workers

are unemployed (or working on just contract basis) and they are agreed to work without considering safety standards. The whole family is entirely based on that particular labor and they are willing to do extra work in

order to get extra beneficial money. In some cases, children of the labors also engaged with that work on daily

wages, which is against the Labor Law of Pakistan [7] and also against the Human Rights.

2.3 Imposition of Extra Working hours to get Extra benefit

The working hours for desired and particular group of labors are not predefined, with the extra

consumed time at site given by workers jobsite accidents increased. Referring to figure 1, the year of 1999

revealed that the most accidents occurred when a worker stayed on the jobsite for more than forty hours per

week [8]. Accidents and injuries affecting workers in developing countries are more, because they are the wage

earner of their families and their pay scale is low as compare to developed countries. For the fulfillment of their

family needs they work more than forty hours per week and neglect the safety polices.

Fig. 3. (EU Construction accidents by hours worked in 1999) [9]

2.4 Specific Domain for Specific Labors

As per the statistical data, 60% of the labors are owned to the specific type of working strategy and

transformed to its expertise. The domain of that particular labor is set and the person tries to entrapped with this

domain and eventually unskilled in other areas.

2.5 Age Factor

The nature of work in our case is independent from this factor. The whole family of the labor is

associated is concerned with the specific project due to excessive needs and requirements, policy is not coupled

with these issues.

2.6 Indirect Cost ascertain by the Construction Incident

When accident occurs in construction site, it has many adverse effects on labor and as well construction

site. Indirectly it may involve:

Disappointment of other workers

Initiation of low productivity

Extra imposition of time due to investigation

Repair and maintenance

Damage of equipment etc

VI. POLICY DEPLOYMENT AND INSTRUMENTAL USAGE For the successful accomplishment of any construction project, adequate planning and management of

safety ensuring policies should be adopted. All personal safety equipment and signs should be kept available for

the use of the persons employed on the site and worker are not allowed to enter the site until they wear

protection equipments [10]. The policy makers should stumble upon the basics of Labor Law. These include

orientation of safety training programs, introducing permit/licensing for operating construction machineries,

increasing literacy to work on construction site.

Construction Safety Culture and Promotion, Conceptual approach based on the Labor Law of

Pakistan

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VII. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Construction safety is preamble with several basic facts but they are transformed to the adverse

perceived contributions by their avoidance. As the study correlates with ideological items including negligence

of labor law, improper working exposure, unsafe construction site etc, all allied with the documented, strategic

and sound planning of the existing system. Updating of the existing system is the burning issue because

presently the things are taken at the documented level but not the implementation level. In this contrary

situation, Education and Enforcement both are part and parcel important at separate stages. Education with

ground realities of all type of stakeholders should be signified. Experts, Practitioners and Foreigners should play

important role in the effective training sessions. Determinate rules should prefer for each class of stakeholder

and they should be monitored at different stages of construction. Not only that, for the avoiding maneuvers,

penalty should be imposed to the respective person. New and technology should be introduced to the existing

system, it tends to the long term proposal but it should started at small scale like the housing schemes etc. For any construction industry, manpower should be strong enough in order to meet the challenges and demand of

intact network.

REFERENCES [1] Helander, M. G. (1991). "Safety hazards and motivation for safe work in the construction industry." Int. J. Industrial Ergonomics,

London,8(4), 205-223.

[2] Farooqui, R.U., Ahmed, S.M., and Panthi, K. (2007). “Developing Safety Culture in Pakistan Construction Industry – An Assessment

of Perceptions and Practices among Construction Contractors”.

[3] Rizwan U. Farooqui, Farrukh Arif and S.F.A. Rafeeqi (August 2008) (Safety Performance in Construction Industry of Pakistan, First

International Conference on Construction in Developing Countries (ICCIDC–I). Advancing and Integrating Construction Education,

Research & Practice” August 4-5, 2008, Karachi, Pakistan).

[4] Hinze, Jimmie W. (1998), Co-author Tung Au (1998) Project Management for Construction, Fundamental Concepts for Owners,

Engineers, Architects and Builders Construction Safety, Prentice-Hall, 1997.

[5] Azizabad, Block 2, Karachi, Pakistan, Private Construction (28th May 2012).

[6] Ridley, J. (1986) Safety at Work, 2nd Edition. London: Butterworth Ltd.

[7] Government of Pakistan (Labor Policy 2010) Construction Labor Law (Clause 25, 2010).

[8] Scott W. Kramer, Ph.D. and Jack R. Byrd (Department of Building Science, Auburn University) – (Comparative Study of Construction

Safety. OSHA in the United States versus EASHW in the European Union 2007) pp. 10 (Proceedings published by: RICS 12 Great

George Street, London SW1P 3AD United Kingdom.

[9] EU construction accidents by hours worked. (EASHW, European Social Statistics, 2004, pg. 166).

[10] Scott W. Kramer, Ph.D. and Jack R. Byrd (Department of Building Science, Auburn University) – (Comparative Study of Construction

Safety. OSHA in the United States versus EASHW in the European Union 2007) pp. 10 (Proceedings published by: RICS 12 Great

George Street, London SW1P 3AD United Kingdom.